United Justice Party (al Badara)
The United Justice Party (UJP; Majatran: حزب العدالة المتحدة, Hizb al-Adala al-Muttahid) is a classical liberal political party in al Badara. It was founded as the Badaran Justice Party (BJP) in 3374 by liberal politicians and academics concerned at the impunity of Badaran leaders and the state of the Badaran economy. Control over the UJP is shared between its Congressional Caucus, led by Jabir Tablib Sleiman, National Executive Committee, led by Chairman Jawahir Husn Sabbag, and National Convention. The UJP is considered farthest-right party on the Badaran political specturm in terms of economic policy; however this is due not to extreme political positions, but rather the big government policies of the other political parties. The UJP strongly supports economic deregulation, low taxation and government spending, and privatisation. Socially, the UJP is centrist, being characterised as neither liberal nor conservative. Apart from economic and social issues, however, the UJP has become notable for their calls for the prosecution of a number of Badaran war criminals. Since July 3382, the UJP has been the largest political party in al Badara in terms of congressional representation, with 168 seats out of 700 (since July 3389), 41 seats ahead of the Red Vanguard Consortium, and holds two governorships. History Founding In the early 3370s, an informal group of Badaran politicians, activists and academics (mainly legal scholars) came together to call for the prosecution of Badaran war criminals for crimes committed both in the Great Majatran War and in the few preceeding years. However, within a few years, with increasing membership, the group began to turn some of their focus to other issues, such as the economy, which was in a poor state. In 3374, the formation of a political party was proposed. In Bier Qassem in early May 3374, despite the opposition of the 'purists', a major conference of liberal (by Badaran standards) organisations took place. A second conference was held in Dar al Badara later that month. With the success of both conferences, the formation of the Badaran Justice Party was formally announced on June 2, 3374 in Dar al Badara, at a major rally attended by thousands. The young Party's already high visibility was quickly enhanced by the spate of legislation it proposed in its early months. While most of its legislation was targeted at Badara's tightly regulated, largely state-owned economy and massive budget, some of it was proposed to secularise the nation and reduce the restrictions on individual liberty. Several constitutional bills were introduced into the Congress in an attempt to better define the operations of the government. First Representation By the time of the elections of September 3375, the BJP was among the largest, and certainly the most vocal, political party in al Badara. It had gained over a million members, many of which were previously politically inactive due to the limited political choice available in al Badara. Thus, it was hardly a surprise when the BJP won almost 16% of the vote, 111 congressional seats and a governorship (that of Al Salmania), making it the third-largest party in terms of the congressional representation. Alhasan Budail Malouf and Fayyad Mumtaz Ganim were hastily appointed interim Leader and Deputy Leader, respectively, of the UJP Congressional Caucus by the NEC. Despite its performance in the elections, the BJP was excluded from the Cabinet, which was led by the RVC. Thus, it continued in opposition and did not control any ministries, although it did possess significant influence through its voting power. The BJP managed to increase its profile by taking vocal stands on different issues put before the legislature. In March 3376, the Executive Committee announced that the Caucus leadership would be vacated and new leaders elected to replace the provisional leaders who had been appointed at the Party's founding. Alhasan Budail Malouf, the Leader, was replaced by Saif al Din Rashad Asghar, while Deputy Leader Fayyad Mumtaz Ganim was replaced by Jabir Tablib Sleiman. Shortly after, the BJP was renamed the United Justice Party. During this legislative term, the Union of Working People's Forces, the second-largest political party in al Badara, disbanded. Under the Badaran Constitution, new elections were called for June 3378. The UJP increased its congressional representation by 26 seats. It was thus the equal-second-largest political party in the legislature. Along with this success, the UJP also retained the governorship of Al Salmania and won the governorship of Al Samarya. The Party's candidate for General Secretary, Nasim 'Adnan Boulos, managed to progress to the run-off round but was defeated by the incumbent, Chaz al-Ahmad. After the elections of 3378, the goal of prosecuting Jalal al-e-Ahmad took a back seat to other areas of policy, the UJP put forward two more major series of legislative proposals, one in February and the other in July, 3379. These bills were intended to intiate significant reforms in all aspects of the society, economy and foreign relations of al Badara. Unsurprisingly, the Vanguards voted against all of the bills. Coalition Meawhile, in early March 3379, UJP leaders formed the Badaran Democratic League (BDL), a coalition of Badaran political parties, "united in their pursuit of a more successful democracy in al Badara" and "devoted to the expansion of democratic ideals, civil and individual rights and the reduction of state power". Shortly afterwards, the Republican Democratic Alliance (RDA) joined the BDL. The UJP then decided to open up the League to foreign parties sympathetic to its cause, although they would only receive observer status. In September 3379, the UJP proposed a legislative motion to call upon the government to work towards a union of al Badara and Kafuristan, citing their common identity and mutual interests. The motion passed, but a corresponding motion failed in Kafuristan, shelving any unity proposals for the time being. Meanwhile, five ministries, including those of Finance and Internal Affairs, were left vacant in August 3378 after RDA members resigned from the Cabinet in protest against RVC policy. After multiple failed attempts to form a new government, the UJP decided to speed things up by proposing a no-confidence motion, which would instantly necessitate the formation of a new government. It failed, but nevertheless persuaded the RVC to propose a new Cabinet. Under the leadership of Saif al Din Rashad Asghar, the UJP agreed to join a Cabinet led by the RVC. However, this led to a high level of disconent within the Party's Caucus. In August 3380, after the RDA declared that they would not support the new government, the UJP's anti-Asghar faction broke into open revolt and began searching for a repalcement. Jabir Tablib Sleiman refused to stand despite Asghar's offer to resign in his favour; eventually Finance Minister-candidate Aaliya bint Rami al-Balkhi decided to contest the vote. After a successful spill motion, al-Balkhi won the leadership, 102-35. Shortly afterwards, in November 3380, the UJP's General Convention ratified a deal struck between the UJP and the RDA, in which the UJP would support the RDA's general-secretarial candidate. The RDA, in return, would allow the UJP's Leader to become Premier if they had the numbers to form government. Cabinet Crisis With the departure of the Freedom Party, new elections were called, as mandated by law. The UJP won 36 more seats than they had in the previous election, and became the largest party in the legislature, with 173 seats, which gave it the right to propose a government. It also managed to retain its two governorships. In February 3381, shortly after the successful elections, the UJP proposed a three-way coalition between the UJP, RDA and United Badara - Queranzist Brotherhood (UBQB or UnB). The UJP and RDA together had 284 seats, and the only other party which the UJP was willing to make a coalition partner was UBQB, which would give the government a comfortable majority of 39. However, given that UBQB had been a coalition partner with the Vanguards and had endorsed the RVC in the most recent elections, the RDA refused to support its ally's proposal. Although the RDA later switched votes, the UBQB, angered by their initial decision, voted against the proposal. With the failure of their first attempt to form government, Aaliya bint Rami al-Balkhi decided to begin negotiations of all parties, not just those that the UJP were happy to work with. She cited as the reason for this move, which was considered to be in breach of the UJP's campaign promise not to work with the UJP, the lack of a functioning government for three years. She also admitted that "Perhaps I have had to operate on different principles than I though I would have had to when I went to the people in the previous election", but that this was due to the political situation, and that she was willing to resign as soon as the negotiations were completed. In Opposition In 3382, the UBQB dissolved, necessitating another of a series of early elections. For the first time, the UJP lost seats, reduced to 164 members of the National Congress. Yaman Haris Bahar was defeated in his bid for re-election as Governor of al Samarya. Aaliya bint Rami al-Balkhi stepped down in favour of Deputy Leader Jabir Tablib Sleiman. However, this election allowed the formation of a government. This process was led by the RVC, which proposed that the DotV would control the Premiership. The proposed Cabinet was a grand coalition of all parties in the National Congress, in which the UJP was offered three ministries including the Finance Ministry. However, with the RDA implicitly refusing participation in this Cabinet by failing to give it its confidence, the RVC attempted to form a Vanguard government, ushering in an era of oppositional politics, instead of the traditionally 'big tent' coalitions of all or most parties with Congressional representation. Despite this new and more aggressive style of politics, the next few years were generally quite sedate, with nothing of significance taking place except for a few pieces of limited economics-related legislation. Then, in February 3384, Jabir Tablib Sleiman died in his sleep at the age of 77. Then-Deputy Leader Ilias Ghawth Samaha became Leader after a party ballot, and the a new Deputy Leader, Nasmah Rubaa Seif, was elected shortly after. Both were relatively young: the former was 43 and the latter 39. In late 3385, as part of an electoral manifesto, the UJP proposed a massive bill titled the Economic Liberalisation and Privatisation Act, which failed to pass through the legislature. However, it attracted high levels of attention and established Samaha as a viable leader. Thus, the UJP's polling improved. However, many feared that this would be offset by the establishment of four new parties (and the dissolution of the Defenders of the Vanguard), which would result in the RVC gaining massive numbers of seats and the UJP being weakened. Plurality However, these concerns were soon proved to be unfounded in the elections of July 3386. The UJP, instead of losing seats, gained 17, although their coalitions partner, the RDA, lost two. Nevertheless, this was a significant triumph for the UJP. However, the UJP leadership decided to wait before exercising their prerogative of forming a new government so that they could assess the political situation before making any choices. A proposed coalition between the BDL and DSP failed; the UJP decided to give the Vanguard-aligned parties a chance to form government. This too failed to gain the confidence of the Congress. Then, in late 3385, the UJP proposed a constitutional bill that codified the powers of the most senior officers of the Badaran state: the Eternal Guide, General Secretary and Premier. However, this stated that Jalal al-e-Ahmad would be Eternal Guide "in perpetuity" unless the act was repealed. The RDA vehemently opposed this; although the UJP leadership stated that they should first define the government before trying to change it, the RDA decided to withdraw from the BDL. The act won a majority of votes, but did not reach the required two-thirds majority. Government In May 3387, the UJP leadership submitted a cabinet proposal before the National Congress involving every party with representation. The UJP Leader Ilias Ghawth Samaha was to be Premier, assisted by the Technosocialist Front's Nasiruddin Al'Zeid. The UJP would also control the ministries of Finance, and Food and Agriculture. In January 3388, the government recieved the confidence of the legislature. However, the UJP-led government neither had the time nor the votes to pass many major pieces of legislation that it had wanted to introduce. In March 3389, due to the dissolution of the DCRP, early elections were held. The UJP suffered a loss of nine seats and one governorship. This legislative term would be one of the shortest in recent history, lasting only four months until July, in which another election was held. This time, the UJP lost four more seats, reducing it to a numerical strength of 168. The UJP began to loose confidence in its congressional leadership, and as a result, there was a spill against the Deputy Leader, Nasmah Rubaa Seif. The Caucus did not, however, wish to remove Ilias Ghawth Samaha as Leader as he was the incumbent Premier. Bakr Sharaf Moghadam was elected from a field of three candidates. Electoral Performance The UJP is currently the largest party in the National Congress with 181 seats, and leads the government; however, it has never controlled the General Secretariat (it used to endorses the candidates of other parties; however the three candidates that the UJP have fielded for that office all made it to the run-off round and were defeated, the UJP has recently fielded candidates for that office for the last two consecutive elections, and states that it intends to continue fieling candidate). Two UJP members are currently serving as State Governor. The UJP performs strongly in al Salmania, and to a lesser degree in al Samarya. In both states, the UJP has won the governorships and a plurality of the vote. In Marakesh, the UJP is a significant political force, and once won the gubernatorial elections. The UJP is unpopular in al-Fostat, where it has never won more than one-sixth of the vote, and is receives about half that amount of support in al Baharia, where they are largely overshadowed by their coalition partners, the RDA (although in previous years their poor performance was due to the dominance of the Defenders of the Vanguards). Congressional Elections !Year !Seats !Change in Seats !Seats (%) !Votes (%) !Votes !Swing (%) |- |Sep 3375 |111||▲111||15.86||15.76||9,306,868||▲15.76 |- |Jun 3378 |137||▲26||19.57||19.55||12,631,138||▲3.79 |- |Dec 3380 |173||▲36||24.71||25.06||13,429,434||▲5.49 |- |Jul 3382 |164||▼9||23.43||23.49||12,504,531||▼1.57 |- |Jul 3386 |181||▲17||25.86||25.93||14,714,018||▲2.50 |- |Mar 3389 |172||▼9||24.46||24.57||15,662,804||▼1.46 |- |Jul 3389 |168||▼4||24.00||24.12||15,512,822||▼0.34 |} General Secretarial Elections As stated above, the UJP has only fielded three general-secretarial candidates in 3378 and twice in 3389, and has instead endorsed the RDA's candidate in 3375, 3380, 3382 and 3386. !Year !Candidate !Votes !Votes (%) !Result |- |rowspan="2" align=left|Jun 3378 |rowspan="2" align=left|Nasim 'Adnan Boulos |13,664,701||21.30||align=left|Progressed to run-off |- |20,831,663||40.19||align=left|Defeated |- |rowspan="2" align=left|March 3389 |rowspan="2" align=left|Atyaf Farhah Said |16,602,842||25.86||align=left|Progressed to run-off |- |23,028,438||41.97||align=left|Defeated |- |rowspan="2" align=left|Jul 3389 |rowspan="2" align=left|Atyaf Farhah Said |16,991,576||26.40||align=left|Progressed to run-off |- |22,599,073||46.23||align=left|Defeated |} Public Officials General Secretaries N/A Premiers Vice Premiers N/A Ministers Governors Party Platform Adopted at the 3374 National Convention; re-adopted at all subsequent National Conventions #Government must be fair, transparent and accountable. #The administration of justice must be fair and impartial. #The free market is the best vehicle for the creation of wealth. #The government should be reduced in size. #Equality of opportunity is paramount. #Those that cannot cope must be supported by a civilized state. #All people are entitled to the protection of their liberty. #All people are equal and therefore there should not be discrimination. #All people have rights that are not be be infringed upon. #We need to engage diplomatically with other nations. #We need a secular society which respects religion. #The government must guarantee law and order. Structure The UJP is led by the National Executive Committee, which is the highest elected body of the party. It does not set party policy, but is mainly responsible for administration, electoral policy and fundraising. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the NEC, along with sixteen Committee members, are elected by the National Convention, which meets every two years. Although these elections originally took place in June, these officials are now elected in July. Each of the State Chairpeople are ex-officio members of the NEC, as are the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Congressional Caucus. The First Secretary and Elections Secretary are elected by the NEC; howerver they must be Committee members. The First Secretary is primarily an administrative figure, who has no powers other than those granted to them by their membership of the NEC. However, they do have a plethora of responsibilities. The Elections Secretary is, as the name suggests, responsible for election strategy and some aspects of fundraising. They lead the UJP's National Campaign Headquarters. The National Convention is a body which meets once a year, although the NEC can call meetings between the annual ones. The Convention elects some of the NEC members and must approve the party platform, although it generally acquiesces to the Congressional Caucus. At every fourth annual meeting, the Convention must decide on the UJP's General-Secretarial candidate. Each state branch of the UJP is represented in accordance with its size. Every member of the UJP's Congressional Caucus is an ex-officio Convention member, with equal voting power to other members. If the Caucus has fewer than 100 members, additional members to take up the full 100 seats are elected by the Caucus. The Congressional Caucus consists of every member of the UJP in the National Congress of the Vanguard. The Congressional Caucus is responsible for the party's platform (which, however, is subject to the Convention's approval). The Caucus also elects its Leader and Deputy Leader, who nominate the Party's frontbench for approval. Generally, the Congressional Leader is also the Party's candidate for Premier. The UJP is composed of a number of state branches, each organised on similar lines to the national Party. They are all led by a State Executive Committee, which in turn is led by the State Chairperson (an ''ex-officio ''member of the NEC, as stated above). The State Convention has a similar function to the National Convention. However, the state-level legislative caucuses possess far less power, due to the limited authority of the state legislatures. The state branches, in turn, are made up of local branches; each branch generally has several hundred members. There are over a thousand branches in the country. Each branch is led by a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and First Secretary, in an arrangement that parallels the leadership of the NEC. The local branches, however, have fairly limited political authority or influence, and are mainly involved in grassroots action and campaigning. Many branches are largely dormant until campaign season. In total, the local branches, and thus the UJP as a whole, have approximately 300 thousand members. Leadership Factions There are three completely unorganised groups in the UJP: the pro-Vanguard, the moderately anti-Vanguard, and the more strongly anti-Vanguard.. These groups, although without a coherent leadership, play an extremely important role in the internal politics of the UJP. The pro-Vanguard group actively pushes for co-operation with the Vanguard parties, and are easily the smallest of the three groups; it has no members of any prominence within the party. The moderates, such as Bakr Sharaf Moghadam, are opposed to the Vanguard ideology, but are sometimes willing to make compromises and work with them. However, the more strongly anti-Vanguard members of the UJP, such as Sabir Yazid Kouri, are implacable enemies of the Vanguard. In addition to these informal groupings, the UJP has several official, organised factions, whose membership does not in any way coincide with the memberships of the informal groups. While they do not have high official memberships, they are larger than they are officially stated to be as many Party members informally align themselves with one of the factions. The UJP has four main organised factions, the United Right, Liberal-Progressives, Populists and League for Freedom. United Right The United Right is generally regarded as the largest faction. Its members are socially conservative and wish for a greater emphasis on traditional values; they also tend to be more religious. They believe in significant police power to ensure law and order. The United Right is also devoted to the free market and wishes for the reduction of government, including sharp welfare cuts. It supports a strong and assertive foreign policy, backed up by a powerful military; however it opposes the provision of foreign aid and allowing the entry of refugees. It supports active removal of illegal immigrants. Sabir Jalal al Din Fakhoury, Nasmah Rubaa Seif and Hamim Abdul-Haqq Sarkis are both supporters of the United Right. Liberal-Progressives The Liberal-Progressive faction is supportive of greater personal freedoms. It supports a secular state in which religion has a very limited role to play, and prefers to have a government that keeps out of people's affairs. The Liberal-Progressives are generally less supportive of aggressive anti-illegal immigrant policies. They promote capitalism and welfare cuts, but less so than the United Right. They do not believe in a highly powerful military and instead emphasise peaceful negotiations, making allies and multilateralism; they are also more willing to prove international aid and accept refugees. Among its members are Najiyah Fellah Malouf, Ilias Ghawth Samaha and Qays Ka'im Asfour. Populists The Populists are somewhat conservative and represent the more working-class-leaning members of the UJP. It is socially conservative and religious, but only mildly so. Like the United Right, it places emphasis on law and order. It leans towards the centre on economic issues, and favours regulation, progressive taxation and the retainment of the welfare state, although in a somewhat reduced form. The Populists do not have any semblance of a united policy on foreign affairs; rather, they concentrate more on domestic issues. Its members include Fakhir Munahid Quraishi, Jabir Tablib Sleiman and Jawahir Husn Sabbag. League for Freedom The League for Freedom is the smallest of the factions, and has strong libertarian tendencies. It members are generally quite socially progressive, and oppose any government interference in the private lives of citizens. They believe that the state's powers, especially those of the police, are best limited to ensure that dictatorship does not resurface. The League is highly supportive of free market policies and promote drastic cuts to regulation, taxation and welfare. It prefers to keep al Badara out of the affairs of foreign nations and is thus the isolationist wing of the party. Among its members are Sabir Yazid Kouri and Fakhir Munahid Quraishi. Category:United Justice Party (al Badara) Category:Political parties in Badara